Roller construction

ABSTRACT

A roller for textile or similar machines is made by producing a calibrated tube of predetermined configuration which is permeable to a synthetic plastic material, and then embedding it in the synthetic plastic material so that the latter forms a jacket around the tube and also penetrates interstices of the latter.

i United States Patent 1191 Postulka et al.

ROLLER CONSTRUCTION Assignee: Firma Hermann Windel,

Windelsbleiche b. Bielefeld, Germany Filed: Feb. 2, 1971 Appl. No.: 111,988

Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 7, 1970 Germany P 20 05 619.3

U.S. Cl. 29/130, 29/132 B2lb 31/08 Field of Search 29/132, 130, 129.5

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1952 Francis... 29/130ux June 12, 1973 3,395,636 8/1968 1166s 29/132 x 3,625,146 12/1971 HUtChiS0n.... 29/132 x 2,889,613 6/1959 Madara 29/131 x 2,570,935 10/1951 Freedlancler: 29/130 x 3,081,206 3/1963 Remer 29/1295 1,543,382 6/1925 Harris 29/132 x 3,402,449 9/1968 Schroder 29/130 x 2,369,635 2/1945 Bacon 29/130 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 877,900 9/1942 France 29/130 1,002 1963 Japan 716,863 l0/l954 Great Britain 29/130 Primary ExaminerAlfred R. Guest Att0rney-Michael S. Striker [57] ABSTRACT A roller for textile or similar machines is made by producing a calibrated tube of predetermined configuration which is permeable to a synthetic plastic material, and then embedding it in the synthetic plastic material so that the latter forms a jacket around the tube and also penetrates interstices of the latter.

16 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEU JUN 2W3 3. 737. 963

' SHEET 3 UF 4 In ven tor .SIIIIN P0000" 001mm I00) M mm -cummr mumw 1 ROLLER CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to rollers, and more particularly to an improved roller construction. Still more specifically the invention relates to an improved roller for use in textile machines, paper machines, foil-making machines, conveying apparatus and the like, and to a method of making the same.

It is already known that machines of the types mentioned above use a great number of rollers which may be driven or which may be freely turnable. Such rollers have various different purposes, for instance a conveying'function, a guide function or the like. They come incontact with different materials, for instance with dry materials such as webs of paper or other substances, or they may be subject to special stresses when they are used in so-called wet machines, for instance in washing machines, in driers or in steaming machines, where they come in contact with liquid, vapor or gaseous media at various different temperatures.

Given the types of applications just mentioned, and the various stresses involved, it is generally preferred to make such rollers of special steel or of steel tubes whose outer jacket consists of special steel or which is rubber coated, chromium coated or protected in'another manner. It is also known to make such rollers of non-ferrous materials.

However, rollers made of still other materials and in still other ways are also known. It is for instance known to produce glass fiber reinforced rollers of synthetic plastic material which, however, are used only to a very limited extent in the type of machines mentioned above. The reason for this limited utilization of this latter type of rollers is the fact that their dimensional accuracy and dimensional stability, as well as their operating characteristics during rotation and their surface characteristics, largely due to the low quantity of glass fibers which under current manufacturing methods can be incorporated, do not live up to the requirements which are made of rollers of this type.

' Clearly, therefore, further improvements of this latter type of rollers are desirable, because potentially they could find very wide use in the type of machines mentioned above because they are less expensive than rollers made of special steels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, accordingly, a general object of the present indiscussion.

More particularly it is an object of the present invention to provide such an improved roller which is capable of withstanding higher stresses than heretofore, and which has considerable dimensional accuracy in manufacture as well as being subsequently capable of retaining such accuracy, and which also are truly round.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a novel method of making such a roller.

In pursuance of the above objects, and of others which will become apparent hereafter, one feature of the invention resides in a roller, particularly for textile and analogous machines, comprising a calibrated tube of predetermined configuration composed of a first material and having permeable interstices. A jacket of synthetic plastic second material surrounds and embeds 'vention to provide an improved roller of the type under the tube interiorly and exteriorly and permeates the interstices thereof.

The permeable tube is preferably made of glass fibers, glass fiber compositions or the like with a small addition of hardenable binder, especially by winding such material into tubular form. Such a tube is already stable as to its dimensions and configuration even before it is provided with the jacket of synthetic plastic material, and can be subjected to relatively strong stresses without undergoing permanent deformations.

Because the permeable tube can be produced to high dimensional accuracy, the outer jacket of synthetic plastic material can be applied in relatively small but even thickness and a proper coverage of the permeable tube is obtained.

Furthermore, because of the high accuracy with which the tube can be produced, relatively small quantities of material are required for producing the tube and for the jacket, and the resulting roller willbe truly round and operate in such manner.

Advantageously but not necessarily the thickness of the outer jacket will be approximately 7.5 mm, and the glass content of the roller will be substantially between percent by weight or more.

It is advantageous according to a further embodiment of the invention to utilize additives which are preferably primarily provided at the exposed surface or surfaces of the roller. Such additives may be provided to obtain an anti-adhesive surface or a surface which is particularly resistant to aggressive chemicals, or for similar purposes. Another embodiment of the invention also provides for embedding in or between the individual layers-that is tube and jacketof the roller electrically conductive matter such as electrically conductive filaments, foils or tapes, or an electrically conductive portion composed of pulverulent material, such conductive matter being fixed and grounded.

According to an advantageous method of making the novel roller one or more strips or the .like .of glass fiber material may be saturated or similarly treated with small quantities of hardenable bindersuch as a synthetic plastic-and helically wound onto a heated cylindrical mandrel to produce several layers thereon. Once the thus-produced tube is finished, being calibrated and dimensionally stabilized, it is withdrawn from the mandrel and introduced to a centrifugal mold whose inner radius is greater than the outer radius of the permeable tube by a distance corresponding to the thickness of the outer jacket to be produced. Thereupon the material of which the outer jacket is to be composed is introduced in flowable state into the interior of the permeable tube and the mold rotated so that the material will penetrate interstices of the permeable tube and enter into the am nular gap between the outer surface of the tube and the inner surface of the mold where it will formthe desired plastic jacket.

The necessary quantity of glass textile, preferably but not necessarily in form of tapes or ribbons orthe like, is advantageously wound endlessly in such a manner that the glass fibers will not be cut or severed at the opposite ends of the permeable tube which is being produced.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however,

both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 illustrates in a fragmentary longitudinal section one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. la is a view similar to FIG. 1 but illustrating another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view taken on line IIII illustrating a fragmentary section;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line III-III of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view illustrating a winding mandrel for producing the tube to be embedded in a roller according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic axial section, illustrating a further embodiment; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but showing still another embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing now the drawing in detail and firstly the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 thereof, it will be seen that reference numeral 1 identifies a permeable premanufactured calibrated and straightened tube 1, embedded in and surrounded by a jacket 2 of hardenable synthetic plastic material. FIG. 1 shows that the opposite ends of the roller produced according to the present invention (only one end shown) have secured to them cup-shaped elements 6 whose circumferential wall 7 is provided with perforations 8. FIG. 3 shows that cutouts l exist between the end wall 9 of the respective element 6 and the inner layer 3 of the synthetic plastic material of the jacket of the roller, so that during the production of the roller an inner layer 11 of hardenable synthetic plastic material can form both within as well as without the respective element 6. The synthetic plastic material of the jacket which enters into the perforations or interstices 8 connects the components 6 with the roller. The components 6 at opposite ends of the roller may be connected with one another or they may be unconnected. If they are connected such connection may be established in various different ways, for instance by means of a perforated pipe or the like.

FIG. la shows that the tube 1 is again surrounded by an outer layer 2 and an inner layer 3 together making up the jacket of synthetic plastic material. At the opposite ends (one shown) of the roller shown in FIG. 1a there are again provided cup-shaped components here identified with reference numeral 4 and preferably but not necessarily consisting of metallic material. In this embodiment, however, the components 4 are inserted into the internal space of the tube and connected with the inner layer 3 via a suitable adhesive. They serve for accommodating and holding journals-as do the elements 6 of FIG. 1for a shaft passing through the interior of the roller or for pins, which in any case will serve for journalling the roller for rotation.

FIG. 2 shows that the surface of the jacket 2 may be provided with additive materials 12 of any suitable type in order to influence the characteristics of the surface, that is to make it anti-adhesive, to make it more resistant to attack by aggressive chemicals, or to provide for a desired characteristic.

FIG. 4 shows by way of example how a roller according to the present invention may be produced. To do so a tape or ribbon 13 of a glass fiber, preferably consisting of fiber wovings oriented in requisite manner, is wound onto a heatable cylindrical mandrel 14 in helical configuration, either at identical or variable pitch to produce several layers overlying one another, with the strip being at requisite tension and with small quantities of hardenable binder on a synthetic plastic basis being added. As this takes place, the ribbon-supply bobbin 1,5 is moved along the mandrel 14 in the direction of the double-headed arrow 16 in known manner. The mandrel 14 is provided with abutment discs 17 and 18 at its opposite ends and as soon as the ribbon 13 reaches one of these discs a bracket 19 or 20 is moved into position as shown about which the ribbon 13 is convoluted through before it is reversed to wind the next superimposed layer. This makes it unnecessary to cut or sever the fibers of the ribbon at the opposite axial ends of the winding.

When the binder with which the ribbon 13 is treated has hardened, a permeable rigid tube of astonishingly high dimensional strength and rigidity is obtained. It is then withdrawn from the mandrel 14 and inserted into a non-illustrated centrifugal mold which is mounted of coursefor rotation and whose inner diameter is approximately 1.5 mm larger than the outer diameter of the permeable tube obtained. Thus, the outer surface of the tube and the inner surface of the mold define with one another an annular gap.

In known manner, for instance by means of a chute, a slotted or perforated tube or the like, the material for the jacket 2, 3 is introduced in flowable form into the interior of the permeable tube. Now the mold is rotated whereby the synthetic plastic material will pass through interstices of the tube due to centrifugal force and enter into the annular gap between the outer surface of the tube and the inner surface of the mold. This gap thus becomes filled, as well as any voids, pores or interstices of the tube and, if a requisite quantity of the plastic material in flowable state has been initially introduced into the interior of the tube, not only an outer layer 2 will.form in this gap but also an inner layer and the inner circumferential surface of the tube 1.

The distribution of the flowable material is uniform and consequently the layers 2 and 3 will be free of voids and of constant and uniform thickness throughout.

The cup-shaped components 4 or 6 can be centrally fixed by a suitable device provided on the mold before the latter is rotated. Upon rotation the material for the jacket will then also very evenly penetrate the ends of the permeable tube and enter through the perforation of the walls of the cup-shaped components 4 or 6 whereby the latter are connected with the tube into a unitary whole.

The roller in FIG. 5 has a jacket 50 in which electrically conductive material 51 is incorporated, e.g. embedded carbon particles. The tube is designated with numeral 53 and the inner layer with numeral 54. Additional conductive material may be provided in form of a sheet-material 55 located between tube 53 and jacket 50. Frictionally created static electricity is conducted away from the roller via the shaft 52 thereof.

FIG. 6, finally, shows a roller where conductive filamentary matter 63 is embedded in the jacket 60. The tube and the inner layer are respectively designated with numerals 61 and 62. Static electricity is conducted away by shaft 64.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differ-ing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a roller, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:

1. A roller, particularly for use in textile and analogous machines, comprising a dimensionally stabilized calibrated intersticed tube permeable to flowable material and composed of a plurality of layers of convoluted fiber-glass strip and just sufficient hardened bonding resin to unite said layers into a self-supporting structure; and a jacket of a synthetic plastic material permeating the interstices of said tube and completely coating the exterior and at least partly coating the interior surface of said tube.

2. A roller as defined in claim 1, wherein said jacket has a wall-thickness of substantially 0.75 mm.

3. A roller as defined in claim 1, wherein said tube is composed of between 70 and 90 percent by weight of glass fibers.

4. A roller as defined in claim 1; and further comprising additive matter added to said synthetic plastic material of said jacket.

5. A roller as defined in claim 4, wherein said jacket has at least one exposed surface; and wherein said additive matter is provided at least at said exposed surface.

6. A roller as defined in claim 1; and further comprising electrically conductive matter embedded in said roller.

7. A roller as defined in claim 6, wherein said electrically conductive matter is embedded between said tube and said jacket.

8. A roller as defined in claim 6, wherein said electrically conductive matter is embedded in at least one of said tube and jacket.

9. A roller as defined in claim 6, wherein said electrically conductive matter is of filamentary configuration.

10. A roller as defined in claim 6, wherein said electrically conductive matter is of sheet-material configuration.

11. A roller as defined in claim 6, wherein said electrically conductive matter is of pulverulent configuration.

12. A roller as defined in claim 1, said roller having spaced opposite ends; and further comprising at least two cup-shaped elements provided at the respective ends for accommodating journal means for journalling said roller for rotation.

13. A roller as defined in claim 12, wherein said cupshaped elements are connected with one another.

14. A roller as defined in claim 12, wherein said cupshaped elements consist at least predominantly of metallic material.

15. A roller as defined in claim 12, wherein at least portions of said cup-shaped elements are provided with perforations, and wherein said synthetic plastic material fills said perforations for thereby connecting said cup-shaped elements with said roller.

16. A roller as defined in claim 1, wherein said synthetic plastic material is a hardenable synthetic plastic material. 

1. A roller, particularly for use in textile and analogous machines, comprising a dimensionally stabilized calibrated intersticed tube permeable to flowable material and composed of a plurality of layers of convoluted fiber-glass strip and just sufficient hardened bonding resin to unite said layers into a self-supporting structure; and a jacket of a synthetic plastic material permeating the interstices of said tube and completely coating the exterior and at least partly coating the interior surface of said tube.
 2. A roller as defined in claim 1, wherein said jacket has a wall-thickness of substantially 0.75 mm.
 3. A roller as defined in claim 1, wherein said tube is composed of between 70 and 90 percent by weight of glass fibers.
 4. A roller as defined in claim 1; and further comprising additive matter added to said synthetic plastic material of said jacket.
 5. A roller as defined in claim 4, wherein said jacket has at least one exposed surface; and wherein said additive matter is provided at least at said exposed surface.
 6. A roller as defined in claim 1; and further comprising electrically conductive matter embedded in said roller.
 7. A roller as defined in claim 6, wherein said electrically conductive matter is embedded between said tube and said jacket.
 8. A roller as defined in claim 6, wherein said electrically conductive matter is embedded in at least one of said tube and jacket.
 9. A roller as defined in claim 6, wherein said electrically conductive matter is of filamentary configuration.
 10. A roller as defined in claim 6, wherein said electrically conductive matter is of sheet-material configuration.
 11. A roller as defined in claim 6, wherein said electrically conductive matter is of pulverulent configuration.
 12. A roller as defined in claim 1, said roller having spaced opposite ends; and further comprising at least two cup-shaped elements provided at the respective ends for accommodating journal means for journalling said roller for rotation.
 13. A roller as defined in claim 12, wherein said cup-shaped elements are connected with one another.
 14. A roller as defined in claim 12, wherein said cup-shaped elements consist at least predominantly of metallic material.
 15. A roller as defined in claim 12, wherein at least portions of said cup-shaped elements are provided with perforations, and wherein said synthetic plastic material fills said perforations for thereby connecting said cup-shaped elements with said roller.
 16. A roller as defined in claim 1, wherein said synthetic plastic material is a hardenable synthetic plastic material. 